Slap in the face
by Thyrann
Summary: Terran Concordiat has its wild regions, filled with outlaws. Not everyone wants to be safe. Sometimes outlaws cross the boundaries to more "civilized" regions. If the incursion get to far, Rangers or Paladins have to step in.


I was asked hundreds of times to write or dictate memoirs of my life, of all the heroics and impossible odds I won against. They don't understand. How do you write about things you really want to forget, about all the pain, sorrow, anger and despair? Because that's what hero's experience is all about.

\- General Nathaniel Haygh, commander of Paladin order, TC year 3755

"You idiot," yelled the graying elderly looking short man on the captain of Ravenous Hunger. In normal circumstances it would be funny to see reddening old guy, with nearly all stereotypical features of an imp, focusing his screaming tatrum on a giant nearly twice his height and over three times his weight.

"Why in all the Vulcans of Emerald, have you got the stupidest idea, to capture a ship with a Ranger on board and letting her live?"

For any pirate, Rangers were bad news. They are highly trained special forces and usually their appearance means Concordiat navy and army are about to be dumped on your head like an avalanche.

Confidence was good in front of someone, who was known to separate his associates between strong, capable and confident on one side, and begging for death on the other. With nearly no warning to which side one drops, because there was literally nothing in between.

"My lord," captain Karl Messer said calmly, which was earning quite a bit of respect among the present audience. "We have followed your orders to the letter. No one could predict that one of the crew is undercover Ranger, and she will..."

"Spare me the excuses and just kill the bitch," Baron calmed to tones of utmost annoyance and left. That meant a certain captain Messer will keep his head and all his extremities in actual state.

Probably.

==X==

Time abruptly slowed down. Irene Fallas was about show the Paladin order's greatest advantage and achievement.

The eagle ability was an enormous power, but untrained and unaided by series of implants was fatal. It slows the time flow for the eagle gifted person, but uncontrolled ability shatters the time within the gifted's body. With predictably messy results.

Trained eagle becomes a Paladin. The most effective protector of Terran Concordiat. Irene was Paladin over sixty years and achieved 1st degree mastery. Time was her ally.

"Kill her," pirate captain pointed at her and fifteen rifles spat high velocity duralloy penetrators at her greying second skin... and missed.

Irene was already moving faster than ordinary human can and avoiding the incoming fire with blurring moves. Crossing 15m to the pirates in mere second and incapacitating them in a series economic, but brutally efficient hits was almost laughably easy.

Before the captain could barked for reinforcements, all pirates were down unconscious or quietly whining in pain. The Paladin suddenly appeared one step in front of him.

"Excuse me?" Paladin asked, smiling at him as the captain was staring at her. Before his brain could figure out what was the question about, enormously powerful slap on his right jaw and ear propelled his head to a bulkhead. Captain Messer dropped to unconsciousness in a boneless heap.

==X==

"... and when we got there. Both the captured and the pirate ships were still there. Only three passengers were injured, but treated, and one of the captured crew dead." Explained Ranger lieutenant Jusuf Makkir, "all pirates tied in hangar and Paladin Fallas was calming down one of the more shocked victims."

"Bloody hell, how did she managed to do it?" Ranger Captain Petr Shevchenko asked, "92 pirates incapacitated, two ships secured and all that under 2 hours?"

"Sir, she has first class status." Makkir answered, smiling.

Captain grunted in acknowledgement. "That must've been nasty surprise for those yahoos. No matter, where is she? I want to thank her for saving those people."

"Sorry, sir. Her ship already left. She gave me a message for you." Makkir put a data crystal on captain's desk.

"Damn, no wonder half of the people consider Paladins as myth. They sure do their vanishing act well. What about data from pirate ship?"

"Nearly intact database," lieutenant answered with a cheerful note.

"Good news then?"

"It seems we finally found solid evidence and testimony to pursue arresting baron Allenio. He seems to be leading several other slavers too."

"Oh, dear," Shevcenko smiled and activated link to the bridge.

"Bridge, this is XO."

"Captain here, contact Niniveh HQ, priority link to port admiral, encrypted. Request for reinforcements and arrest warrant for baron Allenio. We finally got the evidence."

"Yes, sir." XO confirmed as captain cut the link.

"Thank you, Yusuf. And please leave the message here. I'll check on it later."

After Makkir left, captain put the data crystal on a reader pad. Display appeared with an exotic, dark-haired beauty looking at him, "Greetings, captain. I hope my gift lifted your spirits. It took a while to track all the necessary information. Combined with the intact ship databases, you should be able to track our friendly baron without much of an issue. So please, when you will be arresting Allenio, tell him: Lady justice will not be denied."

Sevchenko snorted. Those specific words were another semilegend among the Terran Concordiat in relation of the Ranger community and Paladin Order in specific. Typically meaning, that gloves had come off and any previously mentioned sorry bastard just made it to official Ranger shit list. Said person, no matter how powerful, is literally dead man walking. If captain's memory was correct, the longest surviving target of those words was Trazim Jul. Warlord of multi system "empire" with quite capable fleet. He was found, intercepted, apprehended, facing military tribunal for war crimes and then executed in 17 days.

Yeah, Sevchenko was looking forward to deliver those words.


End file.
